Sanitary urine collector

ABSTRACT

Sanitary urine specimen collector including a container, a vertically collapsible funnel made of a relatively rigid flexible material and a releasable connection from the funnel to the container extending over and about the lip of the container and protecting the lip of the container from contamination, in which the funnel is arranged to conform to the body.

United States Patent [19] Whitney et al.

[ SANITARY URINE COLLECTOR [75] Inventors: William G. Whitney, Evanston;

Lawrence Muesing, Winnetka, both [73] Assignee: W. G. WhitneyCorporation, Skokie,

[22] Filed: Sept. 6, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 286,771

[111 3,811,136 [451 May 21, 1974 3,161,891 12/1964 Bauman 4/1103,579,652 5/1971 Ericson 4/110 3,711,871 1/1973 Sherin 4/110 PrimaryExaminer-Edward L. Roberts Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hill, Sherman,Meroni, Gross & Simpson [5 7] ABSTRACT Sanitary urine specimen collectorincluding a container, a vertically collapsible funnel made of arelatively rigid flexible material and a releasable connection from thefunnel to the container extending over and about the lip of thecontainer and protecting the lip of the container from contamination, inwhich the funnel is arranged to conform to the body.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SANITARY URINE COLLECTOR US. Pat. Nos.3,579,652; 3,228,444 and 3,164,186 disclose specimen collectors forcollecting urine samples. Such patents have funnel portions leading tothe container. These funnel portions either have rigid collars or aretoo rigid to conform to the shape of the body or else are made from asheet-like plastic material which is extremely flexible and difficult tohold in conformance with the body.

While such types of specimen collectors are in use, where the funnel isrelatively rigid, besides being difficult to conform it to the body,such collectors cannot be stored in small places. Where the funnels areflexible and collapse to extend about the specimen container, suchfunnels do not protect the mouth of the container from contamination andmust usually be provided with covers which renders it difficult for thelarge end of the funnel to be readily conformed to the shape of thebody.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, we provide aspecimen collector having a funnel detachably connected to the mouth ofthe collector and completely protecting the mouth of the collector fromcontaminants. We further provide a specimen collector having acollapsible funnel attached to the container, in which the funnel hassufficient rigidity to efficiently serve as a funnel, but is soft enoughto conform to the GU area to facilitate the collection of a specimen inmidstream.

An advantage in the invention is that the funnel is large enough to lendto the ease and efficiency in the collection of a specimen of urine, butis collapsible to allow the specimen bottle to move up inside thefunnel.

A still further advantage of the invention is that a coupling membercouples the funnel to the inside of the container, with the couplingmember and the portion of the funnel extending thereabout, extendingabout the lip of the container, in which a simplified form ofbayonet-type locking means is provided to readily couple the couplingmember and funnel to the mouth of the container, or to remove thecoupling member and funnel therefrom, where it may be desired to coverthe container by a cap.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, althoughvariations and modifications may be effected without departing from thespirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a view in side elevation of aspecimen collector constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the specimen collector shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the specimen collector, with thefunnel collapsed about the container.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view looking down on the funnel andcoupler, drawn to the same scale as FIG. 4 and illustrating thebayonet-type joint coupling the coupler and funnel to the mouth of thecontainer.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION In the embodiment ofthe invention illustrated in the drawings, we have shown a generallyfrusto-conical specimen bottle 11, which may be made from a rigidplastic material or from glass and has a relatively flat bottom 12, atop generally cylindrical mouth 13 and an integral frustoconical sidewall 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the mouth 13 has threads 15 extending alongthe outer side thereof, to accommodate closing of the specimen bottle bya cap or other closure member (not shown). The upper end of the mouth 13defines a lip 16. Inwardly extending diametrically spaced ribs 17 extendinwardly of the mouth 13, adjacent the lower end thereof, and areadapted to engage within an outwardly opening annular groove 20extending about a coupling member 21, provided to couple a funnel 23 tothe mouth of the specimen bottle.

The coupling member 21 is shown as having a neck 24 of the funnel 23extending thereabout and downwardly therealong to the annular groove 20.The upper end portion of the coupling member 21 is flanged in a radialoutward direction, as indicated by reference numeral 25 (FIG. 4), toextend over the lip of the neck of the bottle and to retain the neck 24of the funnel 23 into engagement with said lip, to hold contaminantsfrom said lip. The coupling member 21 has diametrically opposedflattened portions 26 corresponding to the flattened ribs 17 andregistering with said ribs when inserting the funnel in the neck of thebottle.

When it is desired to insert the funnel in the neck of the bottle, whichis usually done prior to packing and shipment, the flattened portions 26of the coupler 21 are registered with the ribs 17 to accommodate thecoupler 21 and neck of the funnel to be pushed downwardly along themouth of the bottle, until the ribs 17 register with the annular groove20. The coupler and funnel may then be turned a quarter of a turn, tofasten the coupler and funnel to the mouth of the bottle, with theflattened ribs in engagement with the annular recessed portion 20 of thecoupler. This in effect forms a bayonet-type of joint, detachablyconnecting the funnel to the mouth of the specimen bottle 11.

Referring now in particular to the details of construction of thefunnel, the funnel may be made from a relatively inexpensive plasticmaterial such as a low density polyethylene which is sufficiently rigidto stand by itself in a funnel shape, but is sufficiently flexible to bedistorted by the fingers to properly fit the shape of the patient.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the funnel 23 fits about the outside of thecoupling member 21 and is engaged thereby with the lip 16 of the mouthof the specimen container, and includes a lower generally frustoconicalfunnel portion 27 extending upwardly from the neck 24 and an axiallyaligned larger diameter upper frustoconical portion 29 connected to saidlower portion by an integral annular shoulder 30. The larger diameterfrusto-conical portion 29 of the funnel terminates into a generallycylindrical wall 31 having an annular rim 32 extending radially from itsupper side, and having a tab 33 formed integrally therewith andextending outwardly therefrom, to afford a means to be readily graspedby the fingers to extend the funnel from the collapsed position shown inFIG. 3 to the extended position shown in FIG. 1, when it is desired tocollect a specimen of urine. The tab 33 may also be grasped to hold therim 32 in contact with the body.

As has previously been mentioned, the funnel is usually supplied in thecollapsed condition shown in FIG. 3 to reduce the space taken up by thecollector during shipment and storage. When, however, it is desired touse the collector to take a specimen, it is merely necessary to graspthe tab 33 by the fingers of one hand and extend the funnel to theposition shown in FIG. 1, which as shown in this Figure, issubstantially twice the height of the collector when in a collapsedcondition. If, for any reason, the funnel has been extended and thecollector has not been put in use and it is desired to send thecollector back to storage, the funnel may be collapsed upon itself aboutthe shoulder 30 in such a manner that the vertical height of thespecimen collector is cut in half, with the larger diameter portion .29of the funnel extending outside of the smaller diameter portion 27thereof with the smaller diameter portion inverted relative to thelarger diameter portion.

lt may be seen from the foregoing that a new and improved form ofcollector for specimens of urine has been provided which is efficientand comfortable for use by the patient, of a rugged detachableconstruction, compact for storage and avoiding contaminating the lip ofthe specimen bottle before, during and after the taking of a specimen.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a contaminant-free specimen collector for samples of urine,

a specimen container having a mouth and a lip defining the entering endof said mouth,

a collapsible, semi-rigid funnel made from a semirigid thermoplasticmaterial of the same rigidity throughout its height leading intosaidmouth along the inside of said lip,

said funnel having an intermediate shoulder spacing an upper part of thefunnel outwardly of the lower portion thereof and accommodating axialcollapse and extension of the funnel about the shouldered portionthereof, and

a coupling within said funnel and mouth and extending about said lip andforming said funnel to protect said lip and mouth from contamination.

2. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 1, wherein thefunnel comprises two frusto-conical portions, one spaced above theother, a flexible shoulder extending about the upper end of the lower ofsaid frusto-conical portions and forming a supporting connection for theupper of said frusto-conical portions and accommodating the collapse ofone frusto-conical portion axially downwardly along the outside of theother,

and the extension of the large diameter frusto-conical portion byoutwardpulling movement thereon.

3. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 2, wherein a rimextends radially outwardly of the large diameter end of the funnel andaccommodates the large diameter end of the funnel to fit about thegenitalia regions of the body and to conform thereto by the pressure ofthe hand thereon.

4. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim wherein the funnelextends along the outside of said coupling member and is securedthereto, and wherein a bayonet-like connection is provided between theoutside of said coupling member and the inside of said mouth of saidcontainer, to accommodate the locking of said funnel to said containerby placing said coupling member in the mouth thereof and then turningsaid coupling member to engage said bayonet-like joint. 5. Thecontaminant-free specimen collector of claim 4, wherein the couplingmember has an annular shoulder extending radially outwardly of its upperend portion and having said funnel extending thereabout and therebeneathand retaining said container to the lip of the mouth of said specimencollector. v

6. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim wherein the funnelis of a frusto-conical form and the reduced diameter portion of saidfunnel has a neck extending therefrom about the outside of the upper endportion of the mouth of the container, and

wherein the'coupling member extends inside of the neck of the funnel andthe mouth of the container and retains the neck of the funnel to themouth of the container.

7. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 6, wherein abayonet-like connection is provided between the outside of the couplingmember and the inside of the mouth of the container, to retain saidfunnel to said container by the pressing of said coupling member withinsaid container and the turning of said funnel and coupling member tobring said bayonet-like joint into an engaged locking condition.

8. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 7, wherein thebayonet-like joint comprises a recessed portion extending about theoutside of the coupling member,

at least two lugs extending inwardly of the mouth of the specimencontainer and flattened portions leading from said recessed portion andregistrable with said lugs to accommodate the placing of said couplingmember within said container and the locking of said coupling member andfunnel to said container by turning movement thereof to engage said lugswith said recessed portion.

1. In a contaminant-free specimen collector for samples of urine, aspecimen container having a mouth and a lip defining the entering end ofsaid mouth, a collapsible, semi-rigid funnel made from a semi-rigidthermoplastic material of the same rigidity throughout its heightleading into said mouth along the inside of said lip, said funnel havingan intermediate shoulder spacing an upper part of the funnel outwardlyof the lower portion thereof and accommodating axial collapse andextension of the funnel about the shouldered portion thereof, and acoupling within said funnel and mouth and extending about said lip andforming said funnel to protect said lip and mouth from contamination. 2.The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 1, wherein the funnelcomprises two frusto-conical portions, one spaced above the other, aflexible shoulder extending about the upper end of the lower of saidfrusto-conical portions and forming a supporting connection for theupper of said frusto-conical portions and accommodating the collapse ofone frusto-conical portion axially downwardly along the outside of theother, and the extension of the large diameter frusto-conical portion byoutward pulling movement thereon.
 3. The contaminant-free specimencollector of claim 2, wherein a rim extends radially outwardly of thelarge diameter end of the funnel and accommodates the large diameter endof the funnel to fit about the genitalia regions of the body and toconform thereto by the pressure of the hand thereon.
 4. Thecontaminant-free specimen collector of claim 2, wherein the funnelextends along the outside of said coupling member and is securedthereto, and wherein a bayonet-like connection is provided between theoutside of said coupling member and the inside of said mouth of saidcontainer, to accommodate the locking of said funnel to said containerby placing said coupling member in the mouth thereof and then turningsaid coupling member to engage said bayonet-like joint.
 5. Thecontaminant-free specimen collector of claim 4, wherein the couplingmember has an annular shoulder extending radially outwardly of its upperend portion and having said funnel extending thereabout and therebeneathand retaining said container to the lip of the mouth of said specimencollector.
 6. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 1,wherein the funnel is of a frusto-conical form and the reduced diameterportion of said funnel has a neck extending therefrom about the outsideof the upper end portion of the mouth of the container, and wherein thecoupling member extends inside of the neck of the funnel and the mouthof the container and retains the neck of the funnel to the mouth of thecontainer.
 7. The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 6,wherein a bayonet-like connection is provided between the outside of thecoupling member and the inside of the mouth of the container, to retainsaid funnel to said container by the pressing of saId coupling memberwithin said container and the turning of said funnel and coupling memberto bring said bayonet-like joint into an engaged locking condition. 8.The contaminant-free specimen collector of claim 7, wherein thebayonet-like joint comprises a recessed portion extending about theoutside of the coupling member, at least two lugs extending inwardly ofthe mouth of the specimen container and flattened portions leading fromsaid recessed portion and registrable with said lugs to accommodate theplacing of said coupling member within said container and the locking ofsaid coupling member and funnel to said container by turning movementthereof to engage said lugs with said recessed portion.